Thursday, August 30, 2012

GLP Arabic Instructors attend QFI Institute 2012

From August 13 through 17, four Global Language Project teachers and assistants attended the Qatar Foundation International (QFI) Institute 2012 Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language.

This year GLP will be moving ahead full force with its Arabic language instruction program and will be offering daily classes at PS 368 Hamilton Heights Elementary School in Harlem. Previously, GLP offered only after-school and lunchtime Arabic classes. The QFI Institute acted as a way for GLP's instructors and curriculum development team to learn more about common and effective practices for Arabic instruction.

"Most of the Arabic instructors present were from high schools and middle schools," Anna Serio, GLP's resource coordinator, said. "We were the only elementary school focused people there."

Serio works to find materials to use in GLP's classrooms, determines that pictures used are copyright free and also acts as an assistant teacher is some classrooms. Besides the networking at the institute, Serio valued learning about all the different classroom tools available for Arabic language instruction across many different mediums.

The most valuable resource she discovered at the QFI Institute?
Al-Jazeera's Childrens' Channel website - http://www.jcctv.net/

Elisabeth Shovers, GLP's program coordinator, found information about including standards and assessments to be very valuable and something she wants to incorporate into GLP's programs.

"Also, in terms of teaching, there was great information on including authentic materials and using differentiation with students," Shovers said.

The QFI Institute lasted four days with different topics of discussion each day, including curriculum; teaching the target language; culture, language and content; assessing students performance and using authentic materials and technology.

Below, a photo of the entire QFI Institute 2012.

Feel free to ask Elisabeth and Anna questions about the Institute in the comments!